CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Kasper Bjorkqvist prefers to call his injuries since turning pro "obstacles" rather than "setbacks."
He's had his share of obstacles since turning pro in 2019-20.
Bjorkqvist tore his ACL after six games in his rookie season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after a collision with a teammate in practice, leading to surgery and the end of his season. He began the 2020-21 season in his native Finland in the top league with the club KooKoo, and Bjorkqvist and the team came to the mutual decision to let him play the full Liiga season, a move aimed at getting him the most possible playing time. He returned to Wilkes-Barre after KooKoo was eliminated from the postseason and finished out the year in the AHL, playing out the final five games of Wilkes-Barre's season.
He's had a couple of smaller obstacles this season, too.
Bjorkqvist was cut by a skate in Wilkes-Barre's game on Nov. 24. Before he was able to return from the injury, he tested positive for COVID, delaying his return until Wilkes-Barre's game Dec. 27 against Hershey.
Following that game, Bjorkqvist was recalled to Pittsburgh's taxi squad.
"Right now, I'm just happy, feel healthy, feel good," Bjorkqvist said Tuesday. "That's where I'm at right now."
Bjorkqvist, who has a goal -- an overtime winner against Hartford -- and two assists in his 17 games with Wilkes-Barre this season, said that he wished he could "contribute offensively a little bit more" this season.
The Penguins aren't looking for Bjorkqvist to be that type of player, though. Mike Sullivan said that the reports on Bjorkqvist's season from Wilkes-Barre have been "very positive," because his role goes beyond what shows up on the scoresheet.
"We know what Kasper's game is and the type of player that that he needs to be if he's going to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins," Sullivan said. "You know, he's another one of those glue guys that's hard to play against, that brings a conscientious game, that has the ability to kill penalties. I think that's an important aspect of Kasper's individual game."
It's plays like this one on Monday, dropping to block a shot in a tight game against Hershey:
Or this, breaking up a pass on a penalty kill to get the puck out of the Penguins' zone:
Sullivan likes that Bjorkqvist does "the little things."
"I think his work ethic, his wall play, his willingness to block shots, his physicality, those are all the things that players of Kasper's ilk bring to an NHL team that helps them have success," Sullivan said.
Juuso Riikola, a fellow Finn who came up with Bjorkqvist in this week's round of taxi squad recalls, said that Bjorkqvist is "a real strong player, like a power forward."
"I think his strength is how he can protect the puck," Riikola said. "Kind of like a strong game, he can hit, he can he can skate. I think that's the kind of style and mindset he needs to get and keep, and use his big body to protect the puck and help the team."
With rosters being in such flux due to COVID protocols this season, it's hard to guess whether there will be an opening or not for Bjorkqvist when the Penguins next play a game, on Sunday at home against the Sharks. Bjorkqvist's trying not to think that far ahead either.
"I'm just trying to focus and do a job on the ice there and get better, and not think too much about what's going to happen," he said. "As we've seen for the last three years, people are trying to guess what's happening next, and it's tough to tell. I'm just trying to focus on what I can do on the ice there and then go from there."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Kasperi Kapanen was added to COVID protocol, making it now eight players on the Penguins' protocol list, joining Evan Rodrigues, Teddy Blueger, Tristan Jarry, John Marino, Mike Matheson, Dominik Simon, and P.O Joseph. Sullivan said that "for the most part" those players remain asymptomatic, some just continue to have mild symptoms.
• Sam Lafferty missed practice with a non-COVID illness.
• The Penguins used these lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen - Evgeni Malkin - Jeff Carter
Zach Aston-Reese - Drew O'Connor - Brock McGinn
Brian Boyle - Kasper Bjorkqvist (third forward rotated)
Kris Letang - Brian Dumoulin
Marcus Pettersson - Chad Ruhwedel
Juuso Riikola - Mark Friedman
• There was no special teams work.
• The NHL announced new COVID protocols for players who test positive. Following the new isolation guidelines announced by the CDC on Monday, the NHL on Wednesday announced that players who test positive will only need to isolate for five days, rather than 10. If a player has a fever, they should isolate until their fever resolves. If a player has no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving, the player can exit protocol if they get medical clearance from the team physician, as well as a lab-based PCR test that is negative, or a lab-based PCR test that has a CT value over 30, or two negative molecular point of care tests collected at least two hours apart. Those individuals should continue to wear a mask for another five days, other than for practices or games.
Sullivan said that he thinks the change "makes sense."
• Mark Friedman is hoping to play his first game since Nov. 13 on Sunday: "It's not been an easy five, six weeks here for me, haven't been able to play in a game. But (coaches) have just been just been telling me to work hard and practice and stay positive and wait from opportunity. And hopefully I get that chance against San Jose."
• When Friedman first took the ice for some extra work before practice, he was wearing a face mask, and kept it on for a couple of laps around the ice. He explained why after practice.
"I actually forgot that I was wearing the mask when I stepped on the ice," he said. "We've been wearing it so frequently lately."
• Evgeni Malkin said there's "no chance" of him playing on Sunday, and that he hopes to return on the Penguins' western road trip. More on Malkin here.
• Meanwhile in Wilkes-Barre, Anthony Angello, Radim Zohorna, Nathan Legare and Felix Robert returned from COVID protocol.
• The IIHF canceled the World Junior Championship. I spoke with Penguins prospect Calle Clang about it here.
